In this article from
Bryan Hoch, Andy Pettitte talks about retirement and the new season.
"If I was ever going to go, why not go right now, man?" Pettitte recalled. "Right on top. You couldn't have dreamed that last year would end like it did."
...
"I don't want to go home and miss it, and [have] it killing me," Pettitte said. "When I do it, I want to be done with it. I don't think it'd be fair to my family to say, 'I'm done,' and then pull the rug from right out underneath them. The biggest thing is that I want to make sure I fully have exhausted myself of this."
...
"I really feel like as long as I can throw the ball up there, I can always have a job for a long time," Pettitte said. "It'll be a family deal for me. I feel like I'm missing out on everything that's going on with my kids."
He also spoke about his role besides just being a starter:
"I feel like I do a lot more than just pitch," Pettitte said. "I feel like I've got to bring a lot of energy to the field every day. I feel like I've got a responsibility to try to push all the guys in this rotation, and it takes an awful lot of energy to do that. I don't want to come here and go through the motions."
In the end, it was all about being wanted:
"You want to feel like you're wanted, and they feel like you're still a huge part of what they're doing when it comes to winning another championship," Pettitte said. "Those are the things now. It's a special thing. You realize how special it is here, and a special group of guys that we have. It's not going to be this way all the time."
It may just be wishful thinking, but I fully expect another solid year from Pettitte. He may not be as good as he was last year, but he should be good enough to win another 12-15 games. What do you expect from Pettitte in 2010?
